Spotlight: Building Confidence, Creating Access — Performing Arts Workshops (PAW, Inc.) and Jackson School of the Arts
- John Sloan III
- Oct 6
- 4 min read
Michigan Arts Orgs to Support | October 6, 2025
Two Michigan organizations — Performing Arts Workshops (PAW, Inc.) in Niles and Jackson School of the Arts in Jackson — are proving that performing arts education is a pathway to self-expression, confidence, and opportunity. Both organizations place inclusion at the center of their work, ensuring that every child, regardless of means, has a place on stage and in the arts classroom.
Performing Arts Workshops (PAW Inc.) | www.performingartsworkshops.org | @performing.arts.workshops
Mission
“With a focus on quality instruction and inclusion, Performing Arts Workshops - PAW, Inc. provides value and opportunities that celebrate the essential powers of arts education to enrich communities and illuminate our common humanity.”
Goals:
Provide exposure to the performing arts through any or all of the following disciplines: acting, singing, dancing, instrumental music, art, creative projects, and personal expression.
Provide a safe and constructive environment that encourages personal growth and self-confidence.
Help students gain an aesthetic appreciation of the arts
What They Do
PAW offers a continuum of programs for infants through high school:
Early childhood music and movement classes for ages 0-2
PAW Cubs, PAW Jr., and PAW Sr. programs serving elementary, middle, and high school students
Workshops in acting, dance, singing, and instrumental music
Musical Theatre Experience (MTE) — a one-week immersive production where every child participates on stage or backstage
Leadership opportunities through the PAW Leadership Collective, giving young adults a pathway to arts education careers
PAW Workshops
PAW INC offers several workshops throughout the year for youth of all ages. Students from any school district are eligible and encouraged to participate.
PAW INC. also works to keep workshops affordable for all families. Those interested in scholarship opportunities can visit www.performingartsworkshops.org/scholarships for more info.
PAW Leadership Collective
The PAW Leadership Collective (PLC) is an internship program designed to give college-aged individuals real world experience working with students in the non-profit arts organization world. Internships with Performing Arts Workshops - PAW INC. offer an enriching, career-broadening artistic experience for college students, recent graduates, and young professionals seeking a future career in arts education or non-profit leadership. PAW is committed to professional development and career preparation and strives to make PLC a valuable learning opportunity. Additionally, we hope to continue to build diversity and inclusion onstage and throughout the organization and we especially encourage candidates from underrepresented groups to apply.
Commitment to Inclusion
PAW emphasizes affordability and diversity, offering need-based scholarships and sliding-scale discounts. Small class sizes ensure individualized attention, and their programs intentionally recruit and support students from underrepresented communities.
Ways to Support:
Performing Arts Workshops (PAW INC.) provides multiple donor and sponsorship levels. For more information on how to support, visit www.performingartsworkshops.org/donate
The Jackson School of the Arts | www.jacksonarts.org | @jacksonschoolofthearts
Mission: “To provide quality accessible arts education programs for Jackson County youth regardless of their financial means.”
Vision:
Jackson School of the Arts is a place where the transformative power of the arts is within reach for all, especially those with the least access.
Core Values – We Value the A.R.T.S.
Access: We remove barriers.
Respect: We honor all voices and treat one another with care.
Teamwork: We hold each other accountable and move forward together.
Sustainability: Consider the future of JSA in everything we do.
What They Do
Serving over 2,500 children each year, JSA offers:
Classes in dance, theater, visual arts, and gymnastics for ages 3 and up
Kids Create preschool program blending music, sculpture, painting, and movement
Over 190 year-round classes including after-school, preschool, and homeschool programs
Community events, performances, and adult workshops to broaden access to the arts across Jackson County
Classes & Programs
Jackson School of the Arts offers classes and programs in a variety of areas.
Dance
Visual Arts
Theatre, Drama, Acting
Gymnastics
Early Learning
Adult Classes and Ballroom Lessons
The Youth We Serve (in their own words)
We serve all youth by providing high-quality, low-cost, out-of-school programs for ages 18 months to adult in Art, Dance, Theater, and Gymnastics. Children come to take after-school classes from all surrounding counties. Many are at-risk as identified by these indicators: poverty, welfare dependence, one parent household, un-wed mothers or both parents absent. We know that kids need an outlet for their creativity and energy. If this is stifled, they’ll find other ways of engaging in negative behavior. Our organization give over $6,000 away each month in scholarships to our students.
Research has shown that “learning in and through the arts can help level the playing field for youngsters from disadvantaged circumstances.” The act of artistic creation expands and inspires young minds. An education rich in the arts is critical to the full intellectual, emotional, and social development of children – further, successful out-of-school programs have demonstrated that frequent access to and participation in the arts helps decrease and prevent negative behaviors in at-risk youth.
Diversity Statement
Jackson School of the Arts does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations.
Ways to Support
There are lots of ways to support the Jackson School of the Arts - including the Sponsor A Student program and Shop With Kroger. Those interested should visit www.jacksonarts.org/donate
Why These Orgs Matter
From Niles to Jackson, these two organizations prove that performing arts are more than enrichment — they are tools for self-expression, confidence, and inclusion. Supporting PAW and Jackson School of the Arts ensures that young people across Michigan can access the stage, find their voice, and carry those lessons into every part of life.
